The Project was launched by PCSC in December 2003 when Amber Young, a second grade teacher at a Ralph J. Bunche Elementary School in Carson, CA. wrote the following to then PCSC President, Alison Graham Faggen '84:
“I am teaching at a school that is working to close the economic divide and empower our students to be powerful agents of change. The mission of our school is to create a community of productive life long learners who critically think of ways to create a just society through excellence in thought and action both personally and globally. Part of creating this driven culture is instilling in our students the belief that they will go to college. To further this belief each classroom at my school is named after a top college or university. Ms. Kim's fourth grade class is named Princeton University. Our students need to see role models and examples of people from backgrounds and communities like theirs who are going to top schools.”
With Project Director Monica Egbuonu '84 at the helm, the Project's first partnership was with Ralph J. Bunche Elementary School† in Carson, whose children come from Compton, one of the poorest and most underserved inner cities in Los Angeles County.
†Ralph J. Bunche Elementary- The accomplishments of Ralph J. Bunche Elementary has been both notable and remarkable. Under the leadership of Mikara Solomon and a dedicated staff, Bunche has risen from the lowest ranked elementary school in the Compton Unified School District to the highest ranked. The school has been featured in the Los Angeles Times and on KCET. To learn more about Ralph J. Bunche Elementary School, click on the links below.
http://www.greatschools.n et/modperl/browse_school/ca/1587
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/W9a-2mm3.pdf
http://www.compton.k12.ca.us/sarc2/Bunche-6013494e.pdf
